Drew Karpyshyn
| birth_place = Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Novelist, game designer | education = | alma_mater = | language = English | period = | genre = Fantasy, science fiction | subject = | movement = | notableworks = | spouse = Jennifer | partner = | children = | awards = | website = | portaldisp = }} Drew Karpyshyn (born July 28, 1971) is a Canadian video game scenario writer, scriptwriter and novelist. He served as a senior writer for BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and lead writer for the first two Mass Effect video games. He left BioWare in 2012 to focus on his Chaos Born novels, and returned to it three years later in 2015. On March 9, 2018, he announced he was once again leaving BioWare to focus on his independent work. Career Karpyshyn was at one point employed as a loan officer. Following a car accident, he quit his job and returned to college, gaining a degree in English. He got his start as a game designer for Wizards of the Coast, and he also has written two novels for Wizards of the Coast, both published in 2001 and both set in the Forgotten Realms setting: Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal and Temple Hill. Karpyshyn joined the video game company BioWare in 2000. He wrote the scenario and much of the dialogue for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and was one of the lead writers and planners on Jade Empire, as well as working on several games in the Baldur's Gate series. His next major project was the Mass Effect series of games. His third book, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction was published by Del Rey Ballantine Books in 2006. Mass Effect was named Game of the Year, in addition to receiving four other awards at the 2008 Elan Awards.Zacharias, Yvonne (February 18, 2008). "Mass Effect dominates as game of the year: Science fiction video, made by Edmonton company, cleans up at Elan Awards", The Vancouver Sun, p. D1. Karpyshyn moved to Austin, Texas to help with Star Wars: The Old Republic. He left BioWare in February 2012 to focus more on his own projects. He returned to BioWare 3 years later in 2015 to focus on the post-release development of SWTOR. He later started working on Anthem, a new game developed by Bioware. On March 9, 2018, he announced he would once again be leaving BioWare to work on other things, including more original novels, co-creating a sci-fi graphic novel, and freelance gaming work. Personal life In March 2000, Karpyshyn appeared on an episode of Jeopardy!, finishing third.J! Archive - Show #3577, aired 2000-03-07 He is a fan of the NFL's San Diego Chargers. Drew Karpyshyn |access-date=2011-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224062318/http://drewkarpyshyn.com/c/?page_id=17 |archive-date=2010-12-24 |url-status=dead }} He believes that in the NFL, Bill Belichick is most likely to follow the ways of the Sith, and Peyton Manning is the most likely to be a Jedi.Taking a Knee with 303: Drew Karpyshyn Though his musical tastes lean more to what he calls "mainstream alternative", such as the Foo Fighters and Green Day, he also enjoys Sage Francis' song "The Best of Times". He prefers to write at night without any music playing.A Word with New York Times Best Selling Author and NFL Fan Drew Karpyshyn | The Warren Peace NFL Report He previously lived in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, with his wife Jennifer. In the spring of 2009, he moved with his family to Austin, Texas. Works Games * Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000) * Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (2001) * Neverwinter Nights (2002) * Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark (2003) * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003) * Jade Empire (2005) * Mass Effect (2007) * Mass Effect 2 (2010) * Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011) * Anthem (2019) Novels ''Forgotten Realms'' * Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (novelization) (2001) * Temple Hill (2001) ''Star Wars'' * Star Wars - Darth Bane: Path of Destruction (2006) * Star Wars - Darth Bane: Rule of Two (2007)Drew Karpyshyn's FAQ * Star Wars - Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil (2009) * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan (2011)Star Wars: The Old Republic | News Articles * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Annihilation (2012) ''Mass Effect'' * Mass Effect: Revelation (2007) (Prequel to the video game series) * Mass Effect: Ascension (2008) * Mass Effect: Retribution (2010) ''Chaos Born'' * Children of Fire (2013) * The Scorched Earth (2014) * Chaos Unleashed (2015) References External links * * Drew Karpyshyn at Wizards of the Coast * * Interviews ** Drew Karpyshyn on Ten Minute Interviews (January 2015) ** Drew Karpyshyn Interview with RoqooDepot.com (September 2008) ** Drew Karpyshyn Star Wars Celebration VI Interview with RoqooDepot.com (August 2012) ** Drew Karpyshyn 'Annihilation' Interview with RoqooDepot.com (November 2012) ** Drew Karpyshyn Interview with Game-Spectrum at the Internet Archive (June 2007) * Category:1971 births Category:21st-century Canadian novelists Category:BioWare people Category:Canadian fantasy writers Category:Canadian male novelists Category:Canadian science fiction writers Category:Dungeons & Dragons video game designers Category:Jeopardy! contestants Category:Living people Category:Video game writers Category:Writers from Edmonton